"The Flight of Icarus"

Which statement describes a theme of the selection?

• ​Wisdom grows with time.

• ​Fear is a strong emotion.

• ​People should obey their elders.

• ​People can’t escape their destinies.

Which statement best explains how the setting impacts the plot of the story?

• ​Daedalus sees the air as a means of escape. 

• ​Daedalus tries to escape but fails.

• ​Daedalus is imprisoned in a high tower. 

• ​Daedalus is a gifted inventor.

​Read the sentence from paragraph 2 of the myth.

"Daedalus was an ingenious artist and was not discouraged by his failures."

The author’s purpose for using this sentence is to explain that Daedalus is a —

• ​successful artist but afraid of failure

• ​smart person who persists

• ​smart person but afraid of failure

• ​successful artist who gives up

​Reread the last sentence of paragraph 3 of the selection.

"Icarus played about on the beach happily while his father worked, chasing the feathers that blew away in the strong wind that swept the island and sometimes taking bits of the wax and working it into strange shapes with his fingers."

What is the effect of this description of Icarus playing on the shore? 

• ​It shows that Icarus avoids helping. 

• ​It shows that Icarus is happy to be on the island. 

• ​It shows that Icarus wants to be an artist.

• ​It shows that Icarus likes to play.

Read this sentence from paragraph 6 of the selection.

"Icarus, standing in the bright sun, the shining wings dropping gracefully from his shoulders, his golden hair wet with spray, and his eyes bright and dark with excitement, looked like a lovely bird. "

The purpose of this comparison is to foreshadow Icarus’s —

• ​inability to fly 

• ​love for his father 

• ​joy when he flies 

• ​wings coming off

​The word anxiety comes from the Latin word angere, which means “to choke.” What does anxiety mean in paragraph 8?

• ​Obsessive anger

• ​Overwhelming misery

• ​Consuming fear

• Devouring sadness

​Which quote from paragraph 7 of the selection shows that Icarus flew too high?

• ​. . . until he reached the clouds.

• ​. . . the sun became so hot that the largest feathers dropped off . . .

• ​Up and up Icarus soared . . .

• ​He cried out to his father . . .

​The word exaltation comes from the Latin word exaltare, which means “to raise  or elevate.” What does exaltation mean in paragraph 9?

• Flotation

• Singing

• Praise

• ​​ Promotion

​Which two quotes from the text best support the theme that reaching beyond your limits can cause problems?

(a)  

• ​. . . he mourned for the birdlike son who had thrown caution to the winds in the exaltation of his freedom... 

  (paragraph 9)

• ​“. . . but he does not control the air. . . .” 

  (paragraph 2)

• ​He was bewitched by a sense of freedom and beat his wings frantically. . . 

  (paragraph 7)

• ​Daedalus managed to escape from the tower . . . 

  (paragraph 1)

• ...if you fly too high, the heat will melt the wax... (paragraph 5)

Can you label the events of the selection in the order in which they happen? Which happened first?

• Daedalus and Icarus become prisoners on the island. 

• Daedalus cautions Icarus not to fly too high or too low. 

• Daedalus escapes but loses his son.

• Daedalus decides to build wings for them to use to escape the island.